Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Primed for Conference Meet at No. 8 TCU
October 30, 2014 | Cowgirl Equestrian
STILLWATER -
The Cowgirl equestrian team will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, this Saturday, Nov. 1, to face eighth-ranked TCU in a Big 12 Conference matchup at Turning Point Ranch.
About the Cowgirls
The Cowgirls (1-1, 0-1 Big 12) are led by 16th-year head coach Larry Sanchez, eighth year assistant coach Kayla Hrencher and second year assistant coach Stacy Sanderson. The Cowgirls are coming off a close 9-7 loss at the hands of the currently top-ranked Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. The Cowgirls are looking to snag their first road win of the season after notching a 5-4 record away from Stillwater last year.
About the Horned Frogs
The Horned Frogs (2-1, 0-1 Big 12) are led by second-year Director of Equestrian Haley Schoolfield, fourth-year hunter seat head coach Logan Fiorentino and sixth-year western head coach Kindel Walter. The Horned Frogs are coming off an 11-8 loss at the hands of Baylor last weekend in Waco, Texas. This weekend will be TCU's first home contest of the season. The Horned Frogs were impressive at home last season, notching a 5-1 record at Turning Point Ranch.
In the NCEA Rankings
The Oklahoma State equestrian team fell one spot to No. 7 in this week's team rankings released by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association on Tuesday.
The Cowgirls' (1-1, 0-1 Big 12) slight drop in the poll comes after an off-weekend on the team's schedule. Big 12 foes Baylor and Kansas State, respectively, slid into the first two spots this week. The Bears and Wildcats are followed in the rankings by South Carolina (No. 3), Auburn (No. 4) and Georgia (No. 5) to round out the top five.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls opened up Big 12 competition for the 2014-15 season with a tough, 9-7, loss at then-No. 4 Baylor. Despite suffering a tough loss, the squad delivered a number of impressive performances, taking three of the meet's four Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors.
The Cowgirls (1-1, 0-1 Big 12) and Bears split the equitation over fences event, 2-2-1. Freshman Carly Barrick picked up the first MOP honor of her career after knocking off Baylor's Brittney Mirkov, 81-72. The Bears recorded a 3-1-1 triumph in equitation on the flat. Freshman Katie Jones was the lone Cowgirl to notch a point in the event, defeating Baylor's Schaefer, 75-65. Baylor took the hunter seat events, 5-3-2.
Junior Paris Nottingham led the Cowgirls to a 3-1-1 victory in horsemanship. Nottingham garnered MOP honors after posting a tight 69-68 win over Baylor's Mary Brown. The meet was decided with reining, where the Bears outgunned the Cowgirls, 3-1-1. Katy Krshka attained MOP honors for the second-consecutive meet after downing Ginger Chant of Baylor, 69-63.5. Cowgirl freshman Ebba Lange and Baylor's Parris Rice tied with scores of 69.5 each.
The Bears clinched the meet after Mary Brown of Baylor was granted a re-ride due to an equipment malfunction. Brown scored high enough on her second opportunity to outscore freshman Danielle Cohen's second ride and clinch the win for the Bears.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Give the Cowgirls their first Big 12 victory of the season.
• Be the Cowgirls' first win on the road since their win over SMU in the NCEA Championships.
• Even the Cowgirls' series with the Horned Frogs at six wins each.
• Mark the Cowgirls' second-ever regular-season victory against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, and first since Feb. 24, 2013.
The Series
The Cowgirls currently trail in their series with the Horned Frogs, 5-6. TCU took the last meeting between the two teams, 12-8 in Fort Worth. The Cowgirls' last win in the series came in the fall of last season when the Pokes routed the Horned Frogs, 14-5 in Stillwater. The Cowgirls have only lost two-straight meets to TCU once since the 2006-07 season. The Horned Frogs took three-straight from the Cowgirls during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Cowgirls at Home
The Cowgirls are currently riding an impressive 12-meet winning streak in Stillwater. The last time the Cowgirls lost within the confines of Animal Science Arena was Nov. 3, 2012, in a 10-9 loss to TCU.
Oklahoma State currently holds the second-longest active home winning streak in the nation with 12 wins. Kansas State currently holds the longest home winning streak in the nation with 15-straight home wins.
